This is what you need to know about writing great blog posts
In this Hubbub Labs Startup Academy post, Hubbuber Sinem Sürücü introduces 7 great tips to get you writing blog posts like a pro.
You know that corporate blogs can help companies increase their visibility online, boost their position in the search results and drive engagement on different social media channels. Just the fact that nearly 50% of buyers look at up to 5 pieces of content before talking to a sales rep. should be convincing enough to get more businesses to start blogging – and that’s just one of many reasons.
So perhaps you want to get started on your first blog post and you don’t know where to start, or maybe you’ve already had a go but didn’t see the results you were hoping for.
But first things first! There’s a lot to think about if you want to make an impact.
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Get their attention
No matter how excellent your blog content is, if it doesn’t have the a strong or relevant headline, you won’t get the clicks you were looking for. Or worse, your readers will click but see your content as irrelevant and bounce away into the internet ether, forever.
A good headline usually contains an average of 55 characters and highlights your topic clearly (ideally it should also include the search term under which you want to turn up on search engines).
You can use tools like Co-Schedule’s Headline Analyser – which gives you a sense of how well your headline works. But remember, it’s just a machine and your human judgement is important!
Relevant headlines will stand out on social and in the search results, earning you new followers and your valuable content will help you develop a loyal community.
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Keep their attention
When it comes to writing subheadings, make sure you choose a phrase that catches the reader’s eye, but at the same time doesn’t reveal too much information.
The right titles will keep your readers on the page, and will encourage them to read on to find out more, rather than just scanning the article and leaving immediately.
For example, subheading A gives everything away, whereas subheading B hints at what the reader will learn.
A: Never wash your poodle with human shampoo
B: Here’s how to keep your poodle fresh and clean
Note that you should try to keep these subheadings consistent with one another too; try not to mix questions with calls to action, or super short phrases with long ones – or it’ll just look messy.
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Help Google find you
A blog without SEO is like a car without wheels: it won’t get you anywhere.
Once your social media engagement has died down, you’ll end up relying on search engine results. And if you don’t turn up on the first page, you’ll be overshadowed by other more prominent blogs.
One of the main objectives for publishers is to be as high in the search results as possible. The good news is, you don’t need to be an SEO specialist to work towards that.
An easy and quick strategy to improve SEO is offered by Google Keyword Planner. This tool will tell you how often people search for a specific term on the internet and will show lots of related ideas for a chosen topic. However, you’ll need to have an AdWords account to use it.
Alternatively, Keyword Tool.io is another option that helps find new keywords and keyword variations. This is handy if you want to improve your website’s SEO copy or are looking for new blog topics.
This tool is freemium, so detailed results such as the monthly search volume and cost per click are available in the paid version.
Just remember to optimise your blogs for search engines before publishing them, so you can make it easier for people to find you and allow you to reach a wider audience.
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Make connections
Internal links allow your readers to be redirected to different subpages. Simply put, your visitors can find other relevant content – and they’ll stay on your site for longer as a result.
Also keep in mind that outbound links are among the most important ranking factors in search engine algorithms – so you want to use them. They capture whether your website refers to high-quality content on other websites, showing just how relevant your site is.
So inserting links to high quality content can have a positive influence on your page rank, which is exactly what we want, right?
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Pay attention to detail
Images are the first thing a new reader sees on your blog, even before reading the first sentence. So, in a way, they are like billboards for your blog and should be chosen accordingly.
The images should match your content and give your blog an extra something. Like cheese on your nachos. Yeah.
Make sure to use images, but be aware of copyright laws; get it wrong, forget to credit the author, or use a copyrighted resource beyond its licensed use, and you can be fined.
Check out Pixabay, Unsplash and Pexels, which offer free and public domain pictures of high quality and allow you to download pictures to use commercially and for your own website.
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Get them engaged
How can your readers benefit from the information you give them and what can they do with it?
When you write an article you should give your readers the chance to use the information you’re sharing. The goal is to offer added value to your readers and help them take action.
So ask a question, give a call to action, or offer a next step. You can ask them to sign up to find out more, take part in a debate on social media or to post your article on their own channels – if they love your content enough to to spread your message to the world.
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Always react
With luck you’ll get some comments on your posts. Feedback, whether good or bad, is helps you develop and starts a conversation with your readers.
Just make sure to react to positive as well as negative comments in an appropriate way. In the end, everyone holds different views and you’ll be showing just how transparent you are by responding honestly and professionally.
Stick to the 7 tips above and your blog will, in the long run, climb the Google ranks and drive even more visitors to your site.
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